Mechanized irrigation machine that uses time domain reflectivity to find an open switch or wire

Abstract

An irrigation system comprises a plurality of towers, a time domain reflectometry (TDR) unit, and a central controller. Each tower includes a successive one of a plurality of safety switches, with each safety switch being either closed or open. The safety switch of each tower is electrically connected to at least one safety switch of another tower. The TDR unit is electrically connected to at least one safety switch and is configured to output data regarding an open safety switch. The central controller is configured to receive data from the TDR unit, and determine, according to the data from the TDR unit, at least one of a location of the open safety switch and an identifier of the tower associated with the open safety switch.

1 . An irrigation system comprising:
 a plurality of towers, each tower including a successive one of a plurality of safety switches, each safety switch being either closed or open, the safety switch of each tower electrically connected to at least one safety switch of another tower;   a time domain reflectometry (TDR) unit electrically connected to at least one safety switch, the TDR unit configured to output data regarding an open safety switch; and   a central controller configured to:
 receive data from the TDR unit, and 
 determine, according to the data from the TDR unit, at least one of a location of the open safety switch and an identifier of the tower associated with the open safety switch. 
   
     
     
         2 . The irrigation system of  claim 1 , wherein the central controller is further configured to output a message to a display, the message indicating at least one of the location of the open safety switch and the identifier of the tower associated with the open safety switch. 
     
     
         3 . The irrigation system of  claim 1 , wherein the central controller is further configured to transmit a message to an external receiver, the message indicating at least one of the location of the open safety switch and the identifier of the tower associated with the open safety switch. 
     
     
         4 . The irrigation system of  claim 1 , wherein the data from the TDR unit includes a distance or a representation of the distance from the TDR unit to the open safety switch. 
     
     
         5 . The irrigation system of  claim 4 , wherein the central controller is further configured to perform mathematical calculations on the data to determine at least one of a location of the open safety switch and an identifier of the tower associated with the open safety switch according to the distance from the TDR unit to the open safety switch. 
     
     
         6 . The irrigation system of  claim 1 , wherein the TDR unit is further configured to output an electronic TDR signal and receive reflections of the TDR signal to determine the data regarding the open safety switch. 
     
     
         7 . The irrigation system of  claim 6 , wherein the TDR signal includes a step or an impulse of electric voltage or electric current. 
     
     
         8 . The irrigation system of  claim 6 , wherein the central controller is further configured to instruct the TDR unit to output the control signal. 
     
     
         9 . The irrigation system of  claim 1 , wherein each safety switch is a toggle type switch and the switches are electrically connected to one another in series. 
     
     
         10 . An irrigation system comprising:
 a plurality of towers, each tower including a successive one of a plurality of safety switches, each safety switch being either closed or open, the safety switch of each tower electrically connected to at least one safety switch of another tower;   a time domain reflectometry (TDR) unit electrically connected to at least one safety switch, the TDR unit configured to
 output an electronic TDR signal, 
 receive reflections of the TDR signal, and 
 output data specifying a distance from the TDR unit to an open safety switch; and 
   a central controller configured to:
 receive data from the TDR unit, and 
 perform mathematical calculations on the data to determine at least one of a location of the open safety switch and an identifier of the tower associated with the open safety switch. 
   
     
     
         11 . The irrigation system of  claim 10 , wherein the data from the TDR unit includes a distance or a representation of the distance from the TDR unit to the open safety switch. 
     
     
         12 . The irrigation system of  claim 10 , wherein each safety switch is a toggle type switch and the switches are electrically connected to one another in series. 
     
     
         13 . The irrigation system of  claim 10 , wherein the central controller is further configured to instruct the TDR unit to output the control signal. 
     
     
         14 . The irrigation system of  claim 10 , wherein the TDR signal includes a step or an impulse of electric voltage or electric current. 
     
     
         15 . A method for identifying an open safety switch in an irrigation system, the irrigation system including a plurality of towers, the method comprising:
 electrically connecting a TDR unit to at least one safety switch in the irrigation system, the irrigation system including a plurality of safety switches electrically connected to one another in series, each safety switch being either open or closed and being associated with a successive one of the towers; and   instructing the TDR unit to output a TDR signal, receive reflections of the TDR signal, and determine a distance from the TDR unit to an open safety switch.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising determining at least one of a location of the open safety switch and an identifier of the tower associated with the open safety switch. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising outputting a message to a display, the message indicating at least one of the location of the open safety switch and the identifier of the tower associated with the open safety switch. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising transmitting a message to an external receiver, the message indicating at least one of the location of the open safety switch and the identifier of the tower associated with the open safety switch. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein each safety switch is a toggle type switch. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the TDR signal includes a step or an impulse of electric voltage or electric current.